Fearlessly Courageous
11/16/2022
Desk of Dennis Piller
The breath of the Almighty gives me life
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
(Job 33:4)
Pastor Dale has been really struggling with his oxygen levels. He has struggled to not feel like he’s suffocating at times. Please do not let up on your prayers.
There is a song I used to sing by Michael W Smith:
This is the air I breathe. Your holy presence, living in me.
This is my daily bread. This is my daily bread. Your very Word spoken to me.
And I’m desperate for you. And I’m desperate for you.
These lyrics, by Marie Barnett, bring back a flood of memories! This song often brought me into the presence of God and still does. Think about it!
I used to scuba dive and I remember a time when I stayed down too long and my oxygen was running out. I struggled to pull in the air that I needed…I was getting desperate,… when I finally hit the surface, that gulp of air was life to me.
That was a real panic moment for me. It got me thinking of how desperate am I for the breath of God. For his Holy Spirit… in every moment of every day…including my moments of desperation. It made me wonder what it is like to offer up the sacrifice of my life to God first… over the screaming of my lungs and the panic of the moment.
It is said, that worship works best when we have something to offer God rather than coming to get something for us. God should be on the altar of your heart… of your wants… and your needs…especially in those moments of panic. The only words that came to my mouth in those moments of gasping for air were…Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!
There was no immediate calm… there was no immediate peace but it was the training of my heart, mind, and spirit to cry out to the one my hope comes from at that moment. Honestly, it was after the panic that my peace came.
My Mom always told me that what you allow into your heart, will come out of your mouth. Have you ever wondered where those curse words came from in one of those moments? Fruit!
At that moment, I worshiped God! It isn’t just about Sunday morning and those beautiful songs that draw us near to him. And they are great. They nourish us. But the company we keep also feeds us for the good or the not-so-good. Worship does draw us closer to God. But the fruit of our lives comes in the moments of real trial, …of real desperation. They say character is that thing you do when no one is looking. I think worship is what we do when we do every little thing! We are either worshiping God
or we have fallen for another idol.
If Jesus didn’t want us to worship Him, then why did he die for you?
And me?
What is the air your breathing? What is the air your exhaling?
In every moment…even when you are starving for something…
Psalm 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Genesis 2:7 – Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
You have been breathing every day of your life and that very breath is symbolic of God's spirit with you! Even now as you read these words your chest is rising and falling—God's spirit is flowing in and through you! I pray that is comforting to you. I pray you stop and think about that and worship him for that breath of life.
So lift up your voice and praise him in your desperation, not just the good days. But let EVERY breath praise the Lord.
Rev 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they are and were created.
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
“Through Him” is Jesus… We must go through Jesus…He is the doorway to worshiping God. That continual worship… is a continuum of the sacrifice of praise. Our words are important, and our deeds and actions are important. Communication with God is life to his children. The Fruit of our lips that acknowledge his name. Fruit of lips…Hebrews 13:15 the breath of life Jesus gave us must flow back in the air we breathe in praise and worship.
Finally, Fruits expose your roots! It shows the hidden roots in the ground.
As a Christian, if you do not have a root in God’s word you will never produce the fruit and godly nourishment for those around you or
in those moments when you're starving for air.
Worship IS the air we breathe.
Pray that Pastor's lungs open up. Pray his oxygen levels stay steady in the 90's. Be that intercessor God has called you to be for him and those you know who are in need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP3f1_BpsF0
This is the air I breathe Michael W Smith
